Entries will be judged on the VIABILITY of the product, service or invention; the CREATIVITY of your business idea, name, tagline and video; and the PERSUASIVENESS of your pitch.

here's how it works:

Twenty (20) finalists will be selected by independent judges and posted on teenpitchtank.com for public voting from October 21-27, 2016

Four winners will be chosen by independent judges. The fifth winner will be chosen based on public vote.

The five winners will have the chance to present a three-minute pitch to Cleveland-area “sharks” at Teen Pitch Tank Live on Friday, November 11, 2016

Five students will win a prize package valued up to $30,000. Fifteen finalists will receive $50 cash, $50 McDonald's gift card and a Mitchell's Ice Cream free scoop card.

SAMPLE BUSINESS PITCH VIDEOS:

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Teen Pitch Tank Rules and Eligibility

Note: Teen Pitch Tank reserves the right to update these rules at any time. Every attempt will be made to notify entrants of any modification to this document; however it is ultimately the responsibility of Teen Pitch Tank entrants to stay current with Teen Pitch Tank Rules and Regulations by visiting teenpitchtank.com.

Eligibility

Entrant must be enrolled in high school (grades 9-12) in the fall of 2016. Entrant may be home schooled or enrolled in online schools.

Entrant’s parent or guardian must complete the electronic permission section of the Teen Pitch Tank entry form on our website. Entries will be disqualified if parent/guardian permission form is not submitted by October 16, 2016, 11:59 p.m.

Video entries must be no longer than 90 seconds. It is recommended that entries be not less than 45 seconds. File types accepted include mp4, mov, avi, mpg, 3gp, flv, webm, wmv and mkv.

Entrant and his/her parent/guardian must give consent to all photographs, audio recordings and video recordings taken of him/her, and all Teen Pitch Tank work presented in association with Young Entrepreneur Institute. All media recordings become the property of the Young Entrepreneur Institute and may be used by Young Entrepreneur Institute for educational, instructional or promotional purposes in print, broadcast or electronic media formats now existing or in the future created. This includes but is not limited to the video entry submission. There will be no compensation for the use of any photographs, audio or video recordings or any other media.

Entrants may not work in teams. Only single applicant entries will be accepted.

Entrant may not be the child of any Young Entrepreneur Institute employee.

The deadline for submission is October 16, 2016 at 11:59 p.m.

Business Pitch Criteria

The proposed idea can be any type of business – a product business, a service business, a social enterprise that helps people or the environment, or a technology business.

Entries will be judged on the Viability of the product, service or invention; the Creativity of the business idea, name, tagline and video; and Persuasiveness of the pitch.

Prizes

Fifteen (15) finalists and five (5) winners will receive both monetary and “in-kind” prizes. There is no cash value to “in-kind” prizes and no exchanges or refunds will be offered. Prizes are non transferrable.

Five (5) winners will receive a prize package including:

An opportunity to present to Cleveland-area business sharks at the Enspire 2016 Conference on November 11, 2016

Microsoft Surface 3 Tablet

$150 cash

One year supply of Coca Cola sparkling beverages (two cases per month, your choice of beverage)

Ahuja Business Leadership Scholarship, contingent on meeting specific additional criteria, including but not limited to: the winner being an incoming freshman admitted directly from high school into the Monte Ahuja College of Business and Cleveland State University; the winner accepting admission to CSU and the Monte Ahuja College of Business by March 1 of the spring prior to the fall semester that the recipient plans to enroll; and the winner having a minimum ACT composite score of 26 or a combined 1190 SAT score; having a minimum 3.4 high school GPA, and completing an essay to demonstrate leadership abilities.

The scholarship award is intended to encourage students to remain in the program and graduate in four years. Recipients will receive a scholarship for their freshman year of $1,000 - $2,000, which may be renewed annually for even greater awards during their sophomore through senior years. Recipients are eligible to receive up to eight semesters of scholarship funding provided they remain in the Monte Ahuja College of Business, remain on pace to graduate in four years, and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Certain additional eligibility criteria and requirements apply.

Fifteen (15) finalists will receive:

$50 cash

$50 McDonald’s gift card

Mitchell’s ice cream free scoop card

Certificate of achievement

Judging

Round One

Entrant will complete a registration form and submit a video, up to 90 seconds, to teenpitchtank.com. Entries that do not meet the requirements under the rules section or submit incomplete registration forms will be automatically disqualified. Twenty finalists will be selected from all eligible entries meeting the Teen Pitch Tank contest rules and requirements.

All applicants must enter using the registration form on teenpitchtank.com. Applicant will receive an email confirming receipt of their entry.

Electronic submission: Teen Pitch Tank entries must be submitted via the online link on the website by 11:59 p.m. on October 16, 2016.

Entries will be disqualified if Parent/Guardian Permission is not provided by October 16, 2016 at 11:59 p.m.

Submission title and description of the business idea must be submitted in the form provided on teentechtank.com.

Submissions will be reviewed and judged according to:

Viability of the product, service or invention

Creativity of the business idea, name, tagline and video

Persuasiveness of the pitch

Twenty (20) finalists will be selected by a team of judges to participate in the final round. Notification will be provided via email by October 20, 2016.

Round Two

Twenty (20) finalists will be showcased on teenpitchtank.com from October 21 through October 27, 2016. Four winners will be determined by a panel of judges from the youth entrepreneurship education ecosystem in Northeast Ohio. Public voting via an online link at teenpitchtank.com will determine a fifth winner. The public may vote one time (1x) per finalist per day between October 21 and October 27, 2016. Young Entrepreneur Institute reserves the right to disqualify votes that do not follow these guidelines. All decisions by Young Entrepreneur Institute are final.

Finalists will be notified on November 3, 2016 whether they have been selected as one of the five winners.

Winners will be invited to present a three-minute pitch to Cleveland-area sharks at Teen Pitch Tank Live on Friday, November 11, 2016 at the Enspire Conference at University School, 2785 SOM Center Drive, Hunting Valley, Ohio.